Hamstrung Hamilton admits ‘pleased season over’
Lewis Hamilton admitted he was “pleased the season was over” after a hydraulic failure a few laps from the finish of last weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ensured he ended what was, statistically speaking, the worst campaign of his career, without a single victory for the first time.
Hamilton’s DNF, which he said “summed up his year”, meant he finished sixth in the drivers’ championship with 240 points. He had never before been lower than fifth.
The seven-time champion was without a win for the first time since he entered the sport in 2007 — ending a record only he held. It meant he closed the year 35 points behind Mercedes teammate George Russell, who was fifth in the race.
It is Hamilton’s second-worst performance relative to a teammate, with Jenson Button beating him by 43 points when they were at McLaren in 2011.
Despite that, Hamilton cut a significantly more upbeat figure than he did 12 months ago when he had an eighth world crown cruelly ripped from his grasp by a controversial call from FIA race director Michael Masi.
The Australian wrongly restarted the race with one lap remaining following a late safety car, effectively handing the title to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who was on fresh tyres.
Hamilton, who smiled and laughed in the mixed zone after last weekend’s race, said the way Mercedes battled back from their early season problems meant it was not his toughest season, even if it was statistically the worst.
“I think 2011 was probably the hardest year, just in terms of life,” he said. “This year is not the greatest. It is up there with the top three worst seasons. But it has been a much stronger year in terms of myself, in terms of how I worked with the team, how we all stayed united. There have been lots of pluses.”
On the loss of his record of winning a race every year, Hamilton shrugged.
“It would have been nice, but one win is not enough, is it? This year, when we got our first fifth, it felt like a win. When we got our first fourth, it felt like a win. When we got our first podium, it felt like a win. And those seconds felt as if we really achieved something. So I’ll just hold on to those.”
The 37 year-old said he was looking forward to some time off.
“Right now, I’m just thinking about my winter,” he said. “Just time with the family; building snowmen day in and day out with my niece and nephew, and teaching them to ski and just being a kid.
“I am going to have the best time with my mum — deep conversations, training and healthy eating.
“I’m very pleased it’s over and done with. I always believed right until the last race that there was potentially a chance. It’s important to hold on to hope and keep working. I gave it everything and ultimately the last race was almost like the whole season — it summed up my whole year.”
Russell, asked whether Hamilton had potentially suffered more from bad luck, said he felt it had “probably balanced out”.
“He had a very difficult start to the season. Things didn’t go smoothly. And they were going a bit more smoothly for me,” Russell said.
“But that form swung around in the second half of the season. It [the luck] probably balanced out.”
The 24 year old said he was proud of finishing 35 points ahead of one of his childhood heroes.
“If you had told me that at the start of the season, I would have been incredibly proud and happy, because nine times out of 10, if you finish ahead of Lewis Hamilton, you are probably going to be a world champion.
“I have no doubt he will be back to his normal levels next year, if the car is capable. He has pushed me to my limits and I have learned a huge amount. There is no better reference, so I’m very lucky.”